A pipe spraying water. (Photo courtesy of the ARS Watershed Physical Processes Research Unit at the National Sedimentation Laboratory in Oxford, MS.)

Refilling America’s Thirsty Aquifers

Farm irrigation in the U.S. relies heavily on groundwater, but many aquifers are being depleted faster than they can naturally refill. Researchers with the Agricultural Research Service’s (ARS) Watershed Physical Processes Research (WPPR) unit, part of the National Sedimentation Laboratory in Oxford, MS, have demonstrated a rapid, safe way to recharge the Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer by pumping naturally filtered river water into it through the Groundwater Transfer and Injection Pilot project. Learn more...

The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.